I agree, gracehatter, 'giddy' describes HM's behavior.
I think she's mentally already packing her bags to leave 'Hotel K'. The prosecution made a rather pointed reference to her helping with the crime. I think that's opening the door for the judges to find her 'guilty' of the 'assisting' crime, the one that carries a 9-month sentence. If she gets credit for time served, she's practically free.
I wonder if she's aware of the Chicago proceedings regarding the trust. I don't recall if Cohen put an end date or condition to Mackoff's trusteeship. I would be very surprised if Soenardi didn't recommend an appeal for TS, no matter how light his sentence. HM's probably got a better chance of getting $ out of Mackoff than out of Wiese.
So lets take the (almost) worst case scenario in Bali, and couple it with an almost worst case scenario in Chicago:
HM is convicted of helping with the crime, is sentenced to 9 months in prison, and is released in May. The administer of SVW estate files a complaint in probate asking for her to not inherit her mothers money due to the Illinois Slayer statute. HM will say she did not cause SVM death...TS did.
My hope is that this will work to disinherit HM:
....in 2004, a new provision was added to the Illinois Probate Act called "Financial Exploitation, Abuse, or Neglect of an Elderly Person or a Person with a Disability." The new provision prevented any person convicted of financial exploitation, abuse, or neglect of an elderly person from receiving "any property, benefit, or other interest by reason of the death of that elderly person . . . whether as heir, legatee, beneficiary, survivor . . . or in any other capacity."
The definitions of "abuse" includes not only obvious physical abuse, harassment or intimidation, but also acts that endanger the elderly person's life or injure his or her health, acts of abandonment, and actions that a caregiver "knows or reasonably should know are necessary" to preserve the elderly person's life or health. The law also targets "neglect," which addresses passive conduct more than overt abuse, such as when a caregiver negligently fails "to provide adequate medical care or maintenance" and this failure causes physical or mental injury or deterioration.
This 2004 statute is broader than the "slayer statute" in that it prevents a person from inheriting or receiving property from the decedent's estate -- even if the abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation was not directly related to the elderly person's death. In this way, this newer statute endorses the notion that an unworthy heir should not profit from any type of bad behavior directed at the decedent.
However, the new statute is also narrower than the "slayer statute" because it does require an actual criminal conviction in order for it to take effect.
http://www.gsrnh.com/item/murder-most-foul-visiting-the-slayer-statute-in-illinois
Sheila was 62. I don't know if that counts as "elderly". For financial exploitation there is a history. Very recently with the Conrad hotel, and, we think HM bought TS's airline ticket to Bali with SVW credit card. I am sure there is a slew of evidence showing HM using SVW credit card without her consent. There is also a history of physical abuse from HM to SVW, not to mention her actual murder. Heather helped stuff her mom in the suitcase. Her acts in the hotel room definitely endangered SVW life because HM let TS into the room, and left the room, (according to the story we are being fed in Denpasar court), while TS beat SVW, and then did nothing to help her mom when she came back into the room. SVW may have still been alive. I'd say that's not providing necessary medical care!!!
Looks like there are many avenues to tie this money up so that HM can't get to it once she is convicted in Bali of something. Even though Stella will eventually inherit the money, (and HM will hang onto her for dear life to try and get access to that money), it will be overseen by the courts until Stella is at least 21 years old. HM won't be able to get money out for things like a new iPhone. (smirk). Yes, that money will be able to be used for Stella's well being and HM will benefit from that. But she will never have free reign to that money like she thinks she will. She will have to answer for every penny spent. And keep in mind that it will most likely take years for there to be a final decision made after all appeals.
These are my thoughts on a worst case scenario. That HM gets away with murder, but never gets the pot of money that caused her to hate, and help murder her mom in the first place. She will always be known as the "Bali body in suitcase" murderer. Her life is ruined, no matter where she is or what she does.
HM may still face charges in the U.S. We won't know until a later date.
Stella will be the true looser in all this if she is not taken from HM. HM has no future. Unfortunately, neither does Sheila.
